


Old ones

by anthiese



Series: I really should go to sleep instead of making this [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Post-Canon, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), epilogue compliant, just mentioned basically, no beta we die like Glenn, or silver snow idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthiese/pseuds/anthiese
Summary: It's a nice evening in Garreg Mach, and a teacher, a teacher, a teacher and... a teacher walk into an inn.For the Felannie server drabble challenge!
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Linhardt von Hevring/Bernadetta von Varley
Series: I really should go to sleep instead of making this [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592482
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54
Collections: Bread Eaters, Those Who Drabble in the Dark





	Old ones

**Author's Note:**

> Mere's prompt: INNS/TAVERNS!!! All sorts of fun shenanigans go down at these lively establishments!!!
> 
> very clearly i didn't stay within word count, but i've been wanting to write about these endings for a while! (partially inspired by @DiOPPIO talking about them on twitter! check out his great art btw!)  
> enjoy!

The bright red shade is simply too inviting. She guesses she should be past the age where she eats things just because they have a pretty color, but one year into her new job, Annette feels as youthful as she did before the war, even if the others at the table don’t seem to match her energy. It’s not like they ever did, though. 

“Feels like old times,” she says, staring through the wine glass at the two sat on the opposite side of the table. 

Bernadetta gives a small smile, clearly still not over the discomfort of being out of her room, while Linhardt shifts his head on the table to look back at her. 

“It doesn’t at _all!_ ” He says, to which Bernadetta actually laughs, and Annette feels Felix snort beside her. “I’d never been to this place before you took us here, and I’m sure neither did Bernadetta.” 

Well, she doesn’t doubt that – the noisy, seedy inn of the Garreg Mach town, with their crowded bar and uncomfortable beds, isn’t the kind of place Linhardt lets himself wander to, even for research, and definitely not somewhere Bernadetta would choose to be, if not for their company, but– 

“She doesn’t mean it literally.” Felix clarifies before she has to, putting a hand on her glass and pushing it out of her reach. 

“Yeah!” She says, standing up and leaning forward. Bernadetta helps by pushing the glass back to her, and Annette giggles out a word of thanks as she sits back down. “You know, all is settled now, and we finally got a day off, and...” 

Her head is running faster than her mouth, and she’s starting to feel the beginning of a headache, so she pauses to wet her lips on the wine (Felix frowns at her) and Bernadetta smiles, and finishes her sentence instead. 

“And you’re still so full of energy...” 

Annette nods, putting down her drink and gesturing a t  Bernadetta with a free hand. “And you’re still a great artist!” She replies, which causes Bernadetta to blush and cover her face with her hands, and Linhardt to lift one of his from the table to pat her arm. 

“Linhardt is still sleeping,” Annette adds, taking note of the way his eyes are still closed shut, and of how he barely moves at the mention of his name, “and Felix...” 

She throws a glance beside her, to see that despite the noise of the tavern and their friends’ presence he’s looking at her like she’s the only one in the room. 

“And what?” he asks, in a tone that would sound vitriolic if not for the stupid look on his face. “And Felix still lets you drag him around to make sure you don’t get in trouble?” 

Annette laughs, pushing him with her shoulder, and he pretends to budge at all, for which she’s thankful. 

_And Felix is still in love with me,_ she thinks. 

“Exactly! Like old times!” She says instead. “Never leave a mage alone in a place full of flammable things, right, Linhardt?” 

“Cheers to that.” He replies, cracking an eye open and lifting his half full glass. “Next time a first-year child wakes me up to help putting out a fire, I’ll ask to have them expelled.”

“Cheers.” Felix echoes, and they all toast.

When they’re done drinking, Annette huddles against him, staring at the remains of her mulled wine. In front of her, Bernadetta is running a finger along the rim of the glass, a shadow hanging over her eyes.

“Last time... Last fire incident, when they woke us up, I really thought we were done for. That they’d come to get us.” She murmurs.

“Count Varley?” Felix asks. Bernadetta looks relieved that he avoided using the word father, but her expression is still pained as she nods. Felix frowns. “I might have told you already, but if you ever want to...” He pats the hilt of his sword, propped between his hip and Annette’s. “I can’t promise a clean job, but it would be one less worry for you two.”

“I’d help, of course!” Annette adds, lifting the empty glass.

Bernadetta’s eyes go wide, before falling back to the table, to her thumb nervously picking at the skin around her nails.

“Thank you... Thank you both.” She says. “I... Sometimes, I... considered it, we, we thought about it. But then... thinking about going back there, I...”

Her voice cracks a bit, and immediately Linhardt lifts his head from the table, moving closer to her.

“You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to,” he reminds her. “Now we’re a boring bunch of professors, and all we have to do is look out for each other.”

Then his left hand goes to tangle with Bernadetta’s own, and she allows herself a relaxed smile as she holds it tight. The grey metal of their rings catches the candlelight, and Annette shifts her head over Felix’s shoulder to study the pretty glimmer. A warm hand comes to rest on her hip.

“You were so brave,” she says, almost without realizing.

Just like old times. So many of their class becoming soldiers, leaving friends, family, countries behind, to follow what seemed like the right path— and then those two left together, and the war ended, and that night she reached to hold Felix’s hand tight— and the rest was history, mostly of the kind that didn’t make it to history books.

“We just stole,” Linhardt replies, shrugging. “Plenty of people can do that.”

Way to oversimplify it. Annette laughs.

Felix shakes his head. “You’re taking care of what you stole. That’s worthy of admiration.”

Annette spots a smile peeking across Linhardt’s face, when Felix stands up, and she mourns the loss of his warmth at her side.

“We have to walk back to the monastery, tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late, all of you,” he reminds them. Then he leans in close to her ear and murmurs, “I’ll wait for you,” before kissing the top of her head, and disappearing up the stairs.

“He’s in a good mood,” says Bernadetta.

“He really is.” Annette replies. “He’s been enjoying the new routine.”

Linhardt yawns. “And he’s right, we shouldn’t stay up late.”

“Sure, he meant that.” Bernadetta laughs, patting his hand still in hers, and Annette does too, despite feeling her face fire up.

“You napped earlier, Linhardt,” Bernadetta reminds him, “and it’s not that late yet, we could take a walk.” 

“You should enjoy the weekend,” Annette nods, pushing herself up. “The lakeside is pretty this time of year, and at this hour it should be nice and quiet.”

Linhardt scratches his chin. “It’s not often we get a break from students bothering me at all times,” he says, seemingly convinced enough.

“Then it’s settled,” Bernadetta says. “Have a good night, Annette.”

“You as well!” She smiles, and begins walking to the stairs, when she remembers something, and calls, “Bernadetta?”

“Yes?”

“About the Count... Please consider it.”

Linhardt gives a curt laugh, but Annette sees something truly thankful in both his and Bernadetta’s eyes.

“Oh, I will.” She says.

Then Annette nods, and starts skipping her way up the stairs. Just like old times, it feels good to make her friends smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit at 3:32am as I type in bed because this is important and I need people to know: I just love seeing people threaten to kill Bernie's dad


End file.
